GTD TiddlyWiki

[remyc88]

Check it out:

http://shared.snapgrid.com/gtd_tiddlywiki.html

It's just 1 html file.

Just save it and you can start using it (don't forget to hit the SAVE button after you make changes).

 

[warren_t]

This is outstanding! A simple yet effective way to manage lists and NA's for GTD. I imagine it would be very useful for road warriors as well.

Well done to the authors!

 

[TesTeq]

Very, very, very promising!

It seems to be very, very, very promising at first glance.
Great for people who do not want to use Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes for their lists.
It is not a calendar application so you have to manage your hard landscape using another method (for example cell phone calendar).
Only one HTML file that contains both your data and data management software. No installation required - you can browse and edit your notes using any modern web browser.
Manage your lists and your diary. Print on index cards. Use it from USB FlashDisk. Upload to your PDA for browsing and editing. Or access from anywhere when uploaded to web server.
And it's open source and free.
TesTeq

 

[Kevin Miller]

Does anyone know how to get this to run on a Palm OS PDA?

 

[airolg]

It is not a calendar application so you have to manage your hard landscape using another method
TesTeq

First post/intro:

I'm new to GTD (can't believe it considering how long it's been around :roll: ) , new to Outlook (I've finally relented, been using Pegasus for years), and now new to Wiki's...where have I been? I'm re-reading the book for more guidance and to be sure I have GTD clear in my head (if that will ever happen!).

Questions/Brainstorm for answers:

So, I'm really liking this, but I'm not quite sure how to use it. It looks like it's just a list of everything for using GTD. How would I utilize the list? Where are Next Actions placed? Are they tied in any way to their respective Project??

There's no dates anywhere in the lists, should there be?

I'd love it if someone that seasoned in GTD and who adapts this to their lists would share some tips/tricks to make it easier to understand both GTD/Wikis all at the same time.

TIA

 

[TesTeq]

Where are Next Actions placed?

You put Next Actions in the @Context tiddlers.

Are they tied in any way to their respective Project??

You put the project name (WikiWord) in the NextAction text. In this way it is automagically linked to the project tiddler.

There's no dates anywhere in the lists, should there be?

You do not need dates for Next Actions. Dates are for your hard landscape which must be handled using another method. Of course you can create "date tiddlers" (for example DaTe20050512) to create hand-made calendar. Then open this tiddler and use "reference" button to display all other tiddlers that are linked to this one.

TesTeq

 

[Unregistered]

Dates and Links

Hi - not particularly seasoned but some pennies ....

Dates - DA recommends not using dated tasks unless you absolutely have to do the task on that day. Instead he suggests that you keep your diary or calendar for the 'hard landscape' of the day - the meetings you have to be at or kids pickups etc. Then you just do the work you feel like doing in the spaces between meetings. What you do is up to you depending on context, energy, importance of the task etc.

Links - DA says very little about the need for this yet it is something that most folks seem to want - or at least the technoheads do. Because he uses the plain vanilla functions of his Palm, which has no implicit linking functionality, this has set up a discordance in the force! And much fiddling follows trying to get the links to happen nicely. However, if you fancy using a wiki such as this then linking beomes really easy.

I don't want to explain wikis from scratch given you probably know how they work in principle so in the case of the tiddly wiki try this.

Create a new project in (say)the ProjectsList supplied. Make sure you use a WikiWord, BuildShed or you enclose the project name double square brackets [[Build Shed]]. Either way keep it a simple and easily to remember phrase. In both cases once you have saved the note, the project name will now be italics and will be a hyperlink! Click on it and follow the instructions to create a new note for that Project. Now, anywhere you like, you can put that project name in and it will link back to there. eg at the and of a Next Action you could link to the project - Go online to B&Q and look at sheds BuildShed which will result in a Next Action with a handy link to project driving the action.

Hope this helps

Jon

 

[airolg]

Thank you!

Okay, I'm going to re-read the book and get a better handle on why I don't need dates/deadlines. I'm really struggling with letting that go. Deadlines have always been my motivation. I can see a number of things getting postponed forever. :grin:

I will try your suggestions above and see if I can get my GTDTiddlyWiki to work in a way that's productive for me.

Now, a couple more "picks of your GTD'd brain..."

I have a ton of NextActions associated with say, @Work, would you advise that I put them all under there? This seems like there is no way to prioritize my list, no drag/drop available (am I giving up prioritizing with GTD? and just do whatever strikes me?). Seems like I might be scrolling forever and would have to be constantly reviewing this list, should I be, is that GTD (Isn't the weekly review done that way?)? Should I break it down further (using outline formatting) into my different clients/projects even though they are all @Work related? Or make them @WorkClient1, @WorkClient2, @WorkClient3 so they shorter??? Or won't I end up needing that division?

I like the idea of printing them off on cards, I guess, but since there would eventually (after initial start-up) be addons, is there a way to just print the newer ones?

Sorry for so much hand-holding, but I'm feeling a bit intimidated by not having hard deadlines and need some reassurance some of my tasks will not be forgotten while I'm building my "trusted" system.

I know, I know, it's really all about what will work for me, but if anyone wants to share their successes/failures...I'm all ears.

TIA

 

[TimO]

twiddly wathamacallit

I am not a tech guy so I may be doing something wrong but this isn't working for me....

I make changes and it doesn't save them?

and when I try and make a change in a particular list the formating goes away?

help!

 

[tubaism]

twiddly wathamacallit

Beyond saving individual changes or new posts, you need to click the Save Changes button on the right menu bar. (Alt+s is also supposed to work, but I've not had success with that.)

 

[Unregistered]

Saving not working

"and when I try and make a change in a particular list the formating goes away?"

Just to make sure that were are starting from a good low base here ... are you pressing "Done" after making the changes? When you press Edit, the formatting goes because that's how wikis work - you use little shortcuts that the wiki then translates into formatting later.

eg

* List item

would come out as a bullet *after* you have pressed Done. When you press Edit you get the * LIst Item back again to make further changes too ... etc

Sorry if you know all this - not trying to offend just get to where you are!

Jon

 

[Tspall]

This is pretty interesting. The nice thing is that it's small enough to fit on a floppy or Zip Disk and take it with you. It could even be emailed from place to place.

 

[darrin365]

This rocks. Can you link your actions to a project? (New to Wikis so I don't really understand tiddlers.)

 

[TesTeq]

As I wrote some posts earlier...

As I wrote some posts earlier...

You put the project name (WikiWord) in the NextAction text. In this way it is automagically linked to the project tiddler.
TesTeq

TesTeq

 

[Unregistered]

Linking to projects

And even if you haven't actually created a project yet, this doesn't matter because the wiki will create a link which will *create* the project for you when you click on it! Remember that this is a "project support page" and not yet part of a ProjectsList - you still have to edit that manually to list your new project.

This really works for those "more than two task projects" as you probably didn't think them all up in advance.

etc

 

[darrin365]

So do I make a list of all of the steps needed to complete that project within that project's tiddler? That's what I don't understand.

For instance, I create a new project and call it "Wiki Widgets". Then I create an action item under @Work that has:
[[Wiki Widgets]]
* Design Wiki Widgets
* Get pricing for production
* Decide on a vendor

Now, I have a "step" between the action item and the project that is a tiddler called "Wiki Widgets". It says, "This tiddler doesn't yet exist. Double-click to create." What do I do with that? Is this where I list all action items? Is this where I store my notes and reference materials?

I hope this makes sense.

Thanks,
Darrin

 

[Unregistered]

Hi

In your @Action list, you should only have actions you get on with right now - there should be nothing that requires you to do something else first.

On your ProjectsList there should really just be a list of Projects

Where to put the outline for a whole set of project tasks is something that bugs alot of GTD users partly because DA keeps it all 'out of the lists' and in project support files.

In a wiki however, you could put all of the possible actions and notes in a tiddler just for that purpose - one per project.

In the example you gave, double click to create Wiki Widgets and cut and paste all but the next task for this project out of @work and into Wiki Widgets.

That way, when you look at your @Work you will the very next thing you need to do and nothing else. That is very much part of DAs strategy.

So, recap.

@Work now has one bullet in it - * Design [[Wiki Widgets]]
@ProjectsList should have one project listed - # [[Wiki Widget]]
Wiki Widget now exists and contains your other 'possible' next actions. I say possible because once you have actually designed your wiki widget you make have a better idea for what really is the Next Action for this project (you may decide to get someone to peer review the design - the next action therefore might be:

@Work * Email design file to Jim@gmail.com to review.

Which, some argue, is why doing much task listing in advance maybe less useful than it seems other than from a brainstorming perspective.

This is just one way to do it of course, there are others.

Jon

 

[darrin365]

Thanks, Jon. That makes sense to me.

 

[J.D. McMillan]

Automatic Projects List

And even if you haven't actually created a project yet, this doesn't matter because the wiki will create a link which will *create* the project for you when you click on it! Remember that this is a "project support page" and not yet part of a ProjectsList - you still have to edit that manually to list your new project.

What I've been doing is using the All section (next to timeline) as a Projects List. For example, whenever you create a project tiddler, put a specific mark in front of it like an exclamation point (Example: ! Remodel Bathroom). It will then automatically display at the top of the All list. As more project tiddlers are created like this, they are displayed together because they all share the exclamation point, making a Project List. This eliminates the need for a "Projects List" tiddler (which I found to be a hassle to maintain). Once a Project is finished, delete it if you don't need it or change the mark in front of the name to something else (like @ or ^ or #, Example: # Remodel Bathroom), to signify reference material. Over time all your Reference material is grouped together in the list too.

Hope this useful to someone!

 

[LeonGTD]

GTDTiddlyWiki is great. I love it as it is local client web app instead of server based. Very portable. Be sure to check out some little tips on GTDTiddlyWiki